


Sacred Worlds

by ThatOnePsycho



Category: RWBY, Warhammer - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 21:47:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21186497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOnePsycho/pseuds/ThatOnePsycho
Summary: Remnant wasn't prepared for the arrival of an army of mystical super soldiers to suddenly appear just before the Breach, especially not with a silver haired woman who should have been leading Team RWBY at the head. Ruby, in hindsight, probably should have realized that the warping of time between the worlds would have lead to something like this.





	1. Chapter 1

Lightning crackled, carrying and group of Stormcast Eternals down from Azyr, and straight into hell, though one familiar to them all. It was, after all, the one they had been forged for.

Ruby wasted no time urging her griffon into the air as the reinforcements arrived, Fleshrender followed his partner's command. Rising into the air, they flew towards the manticore hanging above the battlefield. Below her, the Shining Beacon Stormhost clashed with the frothing berserkers, howling the name of their god, "KHORNE!"

Ruby's subordinates didn't vocally respond, those who favored shield and hammer blocking the axes the Khornates were using, while those who favored dual wielding hammered into the flanks. Hammers, axes and swords of sigmarite cut through the armor of the marauders like chaff. That wasn't right, if they were trying to retake the Realmgate… 

Looking out as she crested towards the sorcerer, Ruby grit her teeth. Chaos Warriors, in their twisted black armor, marched towards them. She'd have to finish this quickly, to warn the others.

Bracing Crescent Rose, Ruby sent a silent urge to Fleshrender, the two headed beast from Ghur speeding up. The Lord-Commander's warscythe hit home, running the manticore through with a shower of gore. Drawing the sword on her hip with her off hand, Ruby blocked the blow from the axe, staring at the snarling warrior and refusing to stand down.

"Khorne wants your skull!" The man snarled, eyes mad.

"Yeah," the Stormcast said, pushing the axe wide and running him through, "he isn't getting it today!"

"You think blood scares me?" The man laughed, leaning forward, "Khorne cares not where the blood flows-!"

"-only that it flows," Ruby said, "Yeah, yeah I know!"

Ruby wrapped an arm around his neck, throwing him off the manticore and to the ground below, thinking back to how they'd gotten into this point and urging Fleshrender down, gesturing to horizon, "Chaos Warriors incoming!" 

"Yes, Ma'am," her second in command Lord-Celestant Vash, a former dead of Shyish nodded. Turning to his own men, lifted his sword, "Stand ready!" 

Black and red shields locked, the Stormcast making up the shieldwall gripped their hammers tighter. Those who favored two weapons, or two handed weapons or one weapon and-

Ruby shook her head, focusing on the hill as Vash rallied her men. Finally, two score men crested the hill, and Ruby grit her teeth. Fleshrender swept around, wings beating at air, the minute the horde saw them, they began to charge down the hill, "Vash."

"Yes, ma'am," Vash raised his free arm, "Judicators!"

At the top of each link in the shieldwall, Judicators rested their Truestrike Thunderers, aiming down the gun's sight.

"Fire!" Vash ordered, and the guns went off, an unholy roar of thunder and lightning flew out, most of them smashing into the chaos plate and stopping. Two, however, hit home in the throat, sending the warriors collapsing and being crushed underfoot by the others. Ruby folded Crescent Rose, aiming down the sights, Fleshrender landed, digging his feet into the ground. Pulling the trigger, Ruby watched one warrior's head jerk back, before he was smashed aside by the others. 

Fleshrender didn't need any further prompting, immediately taking off so the Warriors crashed into the unshaken shieldwall of the Stormcast Eternals. Pushing the Warriors back, the champions of Sigmar Heldenhammer charged forward. Ghuren warriors wielding two axes that should have been great-axes to anyone else fought alongside Ghyran spear maidens. Ruby hadn't been picky about who joined her Stormhost.

Ruby hooked her scythe around one warrior's throat as Fleshrender smashed into and lifted it into the air, the twin heads of the griffon yanked the one they had grabbed apart while Ruby decapitated the other.

\---X Ruby X---

_ Ruby stepped into the cavernous room alongside her opposite number from the Hammers of Heldenhammer… that was the name of his Stormhost right? _

_ The man as face pulled into a heavy frown as always, looked at Ruby, "Hammers of Sigmar." _

_ "I… did I say that out loud?" Ruby asked. _

_ "No," he said, "You just _ ** _ask_ ** _ every time. You confuse us and the Anvils of the Heldenhammer." _

_ "You're both named after him," Ruby said, eyes flickering to the man in question. _

_ "'He' can hear you, Lord-Commander Rose," Sigmar said, but with an amused rumble in his voice. The man rose from his throne, towering over his two Lord-Commanders. A feat (heh) since part of the Reforging process inevitably ended with a Stormcast Eternal at _ ** _at least_ ** _ nine feet tall if they were on the short side. He stepped forward, towards a round table filled with food and gestured for them to sit. Ruby pulled her seat out, sitting easily next to… uh… Talus? Talos? Tal-something, she was pretty sure. _

_ So she had too many names to remember, sue her! _

_ "I have a task for you both," Sigmar said, eyes meeting them, "an important one, my friends." _

_ "What?" Ruby asked, loading her plate while Tal sat straight up. _

_ "The day we've long awaited rapidly approaches," Sigmar said, "a week." _

_ Ruby looked up from her food, silver eyes wide. The lightning in her blood crackled excitedly, and Ruby couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. She'd been getting antsy, far too antsy, "It's finally time?" _

_ "Yes," Sigmar said, "which is why I called you both here. In my time, in the world-that-was, it was customary to give a feast between sword-brothers… or sister, in this case, before a battle. This will be the first of two, one for the three of us, and one that each of you will have with your Stormhosts. Feast, Ruby, Talor, for soon you shall march to war in a two pronged assault. Talor, your Stormhost will fall to Aqshy, you will establish a beachhead around the Igneous Gate and hold it no matter the cost until we can establish a permanent holdfast there. Ruby, yours will do the same for Chamon, and hold the Tri-gate of Tristombul." _

_ "Chamon," Ruby said, "So we should expect Karnath and Tchar?" _

_ "Yes," Sigmar said, "which is the reason for the two pronged assault. The slaves to Chaos have grown complacent, and Blood God holds parts of both Aqshy and Chamon, it is my hope that by striking both at once, the Blood God's followers will be forced to divide their focus. I'll leave the rest up to you two to decide. And, this is important, don't tell anyone you can't trust unwaveringly. Don't tell each other, don't tell _ ** _me_ ** _ . The more people who know, the more likely it is that the Changer of the Ways will find out." _

_ "But we trust you," Ruby pointed out. _

_ "Then let me rephrase that," Sigmar said, "don't tell anyone but your Chamber Command. I do not need to know, I would not have named you Lord-Commanders if I didn't trust you in matters of leadership." _

_ "Are you sure?" Ruby said, "This could get messy, and-" _

_ "My eye will be on you both," Sigmar said, "and I'll have a constant ear to the forges. If too many Stormcast from one Host return too swiftly, I'll send others to support you. The Anvils for the Hammers, the Hallowed Knights for the Beacon." _

_ Ruby nodded, returning to her meal. This was gonna be… interesting _.

\---X **Vash **X---

Vash Deathborn's sword slashed through one Chaos Warrior. Next to him, a silent Stormcast smashed through the Blood Warrior with his thunder axe, lightning crackling along the axe blade. Vash's sword danced, slashing through the another warrior with familiar savagery. The Khornate warrior collapsed with a missing head. 

In her place, two more charged forward, only for one to be snagged up by Fleshrender in a blur of feathers. The Stormcast Griffon carried the large warrior high into the air, talons gouging into the armor as Ruby's laughter echoed above the war-din. Finally, Fleshrender dropped him, letting him smash into the ground in a splatter of gore. The second warrior tried to attack him, only for Vash take off his head. Watching Ruby clash with a pair of manticores, Vash wished he had some form of mount to join her. It wasn't that he didn't trust his Lord-Commander, but that they would be more dangerous in support of each other.

Vash's sword danced, cutting through another Khornate, before his white hair stood on end below his armor. Looking up, Vash's eyes widened as he watched a twisting creature made of a hulking man with a reedy second body attached to the back, which began to form a bolt of magic.

The servants of the Changer of the Ways had arrived. They didn't have the Sacrosanct Chamber with them and Ruby was too distracted.

"Judicators!" Vash roared, pointing at the spellcaster. Thunderers roared like their namesake, and the spellcaster jerked several times, and collapsed backward, the spell breaking as he collapsed backwards. Fleshrender wheeled around, plunging low as several other spells fired at his rider. 

"Steady!" Vash ordered, as Ruby landed. The Lord-Commander drew her sword, cutting down a pair of charging Khornate before pointing the relic of the World-That-Was forward.

"Prosecutors! Avengers!" Ruby ordered, eyes blazing, "With me!"

The Stormcast forged with wings lifted into the air, hammers, swords and spears in some hands, a pair of boltstorm pistols in others. Ruby turned to Vash, nodding to him, "Hold the Khornates here. We'll take care of the casters."

"Yes, Ma'am," Vash nodded, nodding to the rest of the men and women as Ruby flew off, red merwyrm cloak billowing behind her, "You heard her! We'll hold the line. For the people they took from us!"

\---X **Ruby **X---

_ Ruby stared down the warhost, Crescent Rose clutched in her hand as she sat on Fleshrender. The sickening smell of perfume hit her nose long before she could see the army. _

_ Breathing in, Ruby quietly spurred her two headed Griffon into the air. Below her, the gathered mercenaries stood, aelves with bows nocked arrows from behind humans holding bucklers and axes. Ruby didn't know their names… but knew she was probably going to die with them today. _

_ Yang… Weiss… Blake… Qrow… Dad… She was sorry, she had tried to find a way home, she really had. Slipping through Realmgates whenever possible, wandering Gyur, Shyish and Ghyran and fighting evil wherever it came. Skeletons, Ouruks, and Chaos. But if her dying bought the people of this village time to escape, that was worth it. _

_ "Tell me, you dogs of war!" Ruby yelled, putting as much theatrics into it as possible. These men had agreed to fight with her, to hold back the march of the Slaaneshi warhost, it was the least she could do, "Do you want to live forever!?" _

_ "If we wanted to, we wouldn't be here, fighting for payment we'll never get!" One called, axe colliding with his shield. _

_ Ruby gave a small smile before urging Fleshrender around, the beast of Ghur giving a sharp cry as the horde of Slaanesh worshipers finally arrived at the pass. The choke point was probably their only hope to winning. Especially with the extra Aelfs laying in wait atop the cliffs, bows prepared. _

_ Watching the garishly colored force, led by a demon, a pointed lashed out across the thousands of needled teeth, a long tail lashing along the ground and a sword in his hand. White wings spread across his back in a parody of an angel. _

_ And attraction began to coil in Ruby's gut. Or tired to at least, the feeling died as quickly as it came, unable to hold a grip on her. The Daemon's eyes jumped towards Ruby, anger flashing in them before they became soft, kind, and the voice that came from his mouth was honeyed, cloying, "Lower your weapons. Join us." _

_ Ruby bit her cheek so hard that she tasted blood, "Loose!" _

_ The order snapped the aelves out of their trance, the arrows that hit the Daemon bounced off his hide without so much as a scratch. The ones that hit the marauders behind him, however, were a lot more efficient. _

_ The poison tipped arrows pierced through the first wave of slaves to darkness' throats. The Daemon's eyes jumped back, before he looked at Ruby, "Kill them." _

_ "Fire at will!" Ruby ordered as the marauders charged. Arrows flew over the shoulder of the melee warriors. The marauders didn't stop as the arrows punched through the front lines. Meanwhile, the Daemon took off, flying towards Ruby. Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose into warscythe form, flying to the top of the pass before flipping and charging the Daemon, Ruby crashed into it, blade hitting home and smashing him into the ground, crushing a small pile of marauders. The Daemon took off as the more heavily armored warriors crashed into the shieldwall. Before Ruby could blink, the Daemon was in her face, only her Semblance keeping the blade from piercing her chest. The Daemon grabbed her, carrying her off Fleshrender and slamming her into the cliff face. _

_ "Your men will die," he crooned, leaning forward, "You'll die, but only once my men have had their fu- _

_ "F-" Ruby croaked, "fire the amber bones." _

_ "Fi-?" Realmstone arrow heads dug into the Daemon's back, cutting through the hide with supernatural ease. Ruby smashed into the ground, Aura healing the injury. Fleshrender swooped down in front of her as a plated warrior charged at her, smashing him into the opposite cliff. He landed, resting his left head against her. _

_ "I'm alright," Ruby said. _

_ "Die!" The Daemon growled, flying towards her. Fleshrender took off, only to be smashed into the ground. The Daemon lifted his sword, preparing to plunge it into Fleshrender's chest. Ruby grit her teeth, rushing forward with Crescent Rose, swinging it around him. _

_ "Get away from my friend!" Ruby snarled, even as the the sword changed direction to pierce her heart. Fleshrender was the only friend she had anymore- _

_ Before the blade could pierce her breast, a loud rumbling came from the sky, blasting the Daemon away. _

_ Or, Ruby would come to realize immediately after, carrying her and Fleshrender away, into a golden hall. A tall man with brown hair smiling at her, "That was very brave of you." _

_ "Uh… Thanks?" Ruby said, looking around and holding Crescent Rose in a defensive stance, Fleshrender standing up and coiling around her. Where were they? _

_ "I'm sorry," the man said, stepped down and walking forward, "You must be confused. I've been watching you for a long time." _

_ "You realize how creepy that sounds, right?" Ruby asked immediately, before immediately slapping her hand across her mouth. Luckily, the man just gave a booming laugh. _

_ "Yes, it does," the man said, face growing more somber, "especially after the threat Gerreon made." _

_ "Gerreo- the Daemon?" Ruby asked. _

_ "He calls himself Azazel now," the man said, shaking his head, "I thought him my closest companion, before his fall. I'm sorry, I let my mind wander. Yes, I've been watching you, because I didn't want to take you from your life until necessary." _

_ "Who are you?" Ruby asked, head spinning. What was he talking about? _

_ The man smiled, a smile as friendly and brotherly as could be. One that Ruby, for a second, felt HAD to be fake, before that idea faded. It was an honest smile, she could tell in her bones, "I am Sigmar Heldenhammer, and I'd like you to join an army I'm creating to end the Age of Chaos." _

_ "Ok," Ruby said without blinking or hesitating to think. _

_ "Are you certain?" Sigmar asked, stepping forward, "it won't be an easy process. In fact, the first step will be agonizi-" _

_ "I'll do it," Ruby said, "if it lets us save people, I'll always- the mercenaries!" _

_ "Have all but passed, I'm afraid," Sigmar said, eyes darkening, "the trap was well planned, but Realmstone, on its own, can't pierce through Chaos Plate. _

_ "And the village?" Ruby asked. _

_ "Evacuated," Sigmar said, "though I can't say for certain how long they'll avoid Azazel." _

_ "Let's go," Ruby said, "If we're gonna do something, I'll start-" _

_ "By eating," Sigmar said, "You'll need to be in top form for what will follow. So come, feast and prepare for the process of being infused with the storm." _

\---X **Ruby **X---

Ruby rushed forward, Fleshrender swooping around the magical salvos. Gripping Crescent Rose, Ruby sent a silent urge to Fleshrender. The griffon went low and wide, opening both mouths, and crackling lightning burst from them, ripping through the line of pink horrors the sorcerers had summoned. As Ruby came out of her strafing run, the horrors split in two, pink turning to blue.

That was when the Avengers came in. Wielding two Thunderstorm Pistols, the rain of metal cut through the blue horrors. Ruby didn't hide the smile, she knew that replicating Crescent Rose's gun would help!

The horrors split again, this time turning yellow and burning with brimstone. Ruby flew past them, dodging the attacks and shifting Crescent Rose into warscythe form, eyes locked on the sorcerer casting a spell.

She didn't need to say or do anything, the Stormcast griffon angeled itself downwards on the charge, letting the Sigmarite blade punch straight through the sorcerer and carrying him into the air as Fleshrender rose into the sky, dodging the attacks from two horned, avian humanoids dual wielding swords.

Seconds later, two Prosecutors landed, sigmarite hammers rumbling as they crashed into the back of the bird-men's heads. Several others landed just as heavily, the black and red sigmarite that marked them as part of Ruby's Stormhost looming over the humans. There was a crash like thunder as one sorcerer's head was caved in between two hammers, the Azyr infused metal crashing against each other in a bright flash of light, the head between not stopping them for a second. Landing, Ruby slid off Fleshrender, who immediately took off again in a gliding leap, slamming into another of the bird-man and lifting it high into the air. Ruby shifted Crescent Rose, letting four birdmen charge her before cleaving them down in a whirl of blade, armor and cloak. 

Looking down the hill, Ruby met the glowing eyes of a massive bullman holding a staff with a flaming bird skull on the end. The beast lowered itself, driving hooved feet into the ground before it charged forward. Behind him, in the distance, Ruby could see more Khornates marching. 

Great.

Ruby rushed forward in turn, shifting Crescent Rose into warscythe form and kicking off the ground, activating her Semblance as she went forward in a whorl of petals and lightning. The Sigmarite blade dug into the bull, and Ruby let go, using the momentum to carry her over its head. Wrapping her hand around Dragon Tooth, Ruby drew the Runefang from her hip, and drove it into the bull's back, dragging it down as Crescent Rose erupted out of his back in a shower of blood. Ruby raked her eyes over the fighting on the hill, giving a smile as she realized it was finished, "Good job, men."

While their heads were covered in armor, Ruby can tell they were smiling at her in turn. Fleshrender landed with a heavy thud, ripping some meat off the bull while Ruby climbed onto his back, freeing Crescent Rose, "Who are we?" 

"The Shining Beacon!" Several of the men chorused, while those who didn't laughed.

"And what do we do?"

"We light the way for others!" They all cried, grins on their voice.

"Now, let's go kill us some Khornates!" Ruby said, Fleshrender taking off alongside her host. 

\---X **Ruby **X---

_ Ruby rushed forward in a blur of petals, dodging the massive stag's charge. Leaping onto its back, she looped Crescent Rose around the neck and severing the head with an exhausted sigh. Pulling out the hunting knife she had acquired a few months prior and crouched in front of the dead beast, Ruby began to carve into it. _

_ Thank goodness for Uncle Qrow teaching her how to skin and butcher animals. It hadn't seemed important at the time, but now… _

_ Ruby shook her head, closing her eyes. Now wasn't the time to think about this stuff. She needed to focus on finding out one, where the heck she was and two, how she got here. Last she remembered, she had fallen down that hole after Zwei. _

_ She certainly wasn't anywhere near Mountain Glenn anymore, that was sure. The tribes she had come across hadn't had any idea what she was talking about. They had just given her weird looks, looks that got even weirder when she tried to pay them with Lien. _

_ And then there were the animals. They were _ ** _huge_ ** _ , wolves the size of cars, stags the size of _ ** _trucks_ ** _ . Something about 'ghur', the people said, when they were willing to answer her questions. _

_ But dang if she knew what a ghur was, or why it made animals so big! They were the size of Grimm! _

_ Ruby stopped her butchering as she heard a loud bang and an animal cry, drawing Crescent Rose and looking around. Glancing back at the animal, Ruby worried her lip. That was a gun. _

_ Could it be Huntsmen? _

_ Ruby stood up, abandoning the animal as another shot rang out. Activating her Semblance, she rushed through the spars trees as a third shot rang out. _

_ What she found was as disappointing as it was disgusting. A morbidly obese man was looming over a injured animal, tearing into it without waiting for it to die. Ruby stepped forward, voice rising up before she could think, "Leave it alone!" _

_ The man looked up, mouth caked in blood. He lumbered to his feet, staring at Ruby, aiming his massive blunderbuss at Ruby. Ruby dove out of the way as the crude looking gun exploded in a shower of random metal. The tree she had been standing in front of was ripped apart by broken chain links and and shards for swords. _

_ Nevermind, it wasn't a crude looking gun… it _ ** _was_ ** _ a crude gun. The type you loaded Dust and anything you could get into and prayed it didn't go off until you wanted it to. _

_ But that still meant he had Dust on him. Maybe she could use that in some way. Ruby gripped her scythe in one hand, the hunting knife in the other. And stepped around the tree, "Hey! I'm still he-" _

_ Ruby dodged the next shot in a flurry of rose petals, landing on the top of a tree. Aiming Crescent Rose at his chest, the Ruby breathed in. _

_ Six burn shots, two lightning, nine gravity, That's all she had left. So she had to be sure the bullet would hit, "Hey!" _

_ "You're still-" the man stopped as the gun went off with a bang, the bullet crashing into his chest right where the heart should have been, fat rippling grotesquely from the point of impact. The man stood, leaving Ruby tense as she realized he wasn't just _ ** _fat_ ** _ , he was towering. Easily ten, maybe twelve feet tall, and if the shot that should have pierced his heart was affecting him, he didn't show it as he charged at the tree, "YOU!" _

_ Ruby threw herself from the tree as he crashed into the trunk with enough force to uproot it. Landing, she sheathed the knife and unfolded Crescent Rose and rushing towards him. Looping her scythe around his neck, Ruby reversed her Semblance, preparing to kick off the metal plate over his stomach, the only clothes he was wearing. _

_ Only for the man to drop his gun and wrap his arms around Ruby in a bear hug that made anything Yang had ever given her feel tame in comparison, ignoring the blade lodged into his back. Pain coursed through her body as the rock hard muscles under the fat smashed her against the metal plate. The man gave a toothy grin, revealing lines of flat teeth while Ruby's Aura fought the crushing. Gritting her own teeth in a parody of his mocking grin, Ruby let go of Crescent Rose… and gouged out his eyes. _

_ The man let go of her with a scream, staggering back and clutching at this face as Ruby grabbed the metal plate around his gut, pulling it down around his ankles. Which was when the animal he had been eating came in with a weak cry. Claws ripped through the man's gut, disemboweling him… alongside several other organs that shouldn't have been that low. Which explained why her shot did nothing. His heart wasn't where it should have been. _

_ The animal, which looked like a Griffon Grimm, collapsed immediately after, blood pouring from the shots in its side and the bites. Ruby stood up, walking towards it carefully and reaching out to touch it. It curled away from her, beak snapping at her fingers. Slowly, it's eyes glazed over, and Ruby was left looking around the campsite. There was a fire burning away, a small animal tied to- _

_ Oh… _

_ Oh…! _

_ Ruby bit down the desire to kick the man's body as it dawned on her that the animal was a small griffon, a baby one. He'd gotten what he deserv-! _

_ Ruby's head whipped around at the small pair of cries from next to the fire. Walking past it, Ruby found herself staring at a two headed baby griffon bound in rope. Both heads stopped as they saw her, tilting as one. Ruby bit the inside of her cheek before reaching out to run a hand alongside its back. The animal's eyes closed, and it let out a combination of a chirp and a purr. _

_ "C'mon, little guy," Ruby said, pulling out her hunting knife and cut the griffon free, wrapping her cloak around it and picking it up. The griffon snuggled against her chest, "I'll take care of you." _

_ Now, to pray something hadn't eaten that stag since she left it. _

\---X Ruby X---

Ruby coiled around Crescent Rose as she leapt off Fleshrender's back. The Sigmarite blade of the warscythe ran through the Chaos plate with ease, coming out the other side in a shower of gore. At the same time, Fleshrender swooped low with a loud cry, catching another marauder trying to charge on Ruby, taking his head off and carrying on to grab another warrior with his talons. The Sigmarite armor defended him from the retaliatory axe swing, letting him carry the warrior high into the air.

"I've got good news and bad news," Ruby said, shifting Crescent Rose and spinning it, blood flying off as she effortlessly cut through two more Khornate warriors with a spinning of the obsidian black blade.

"I swear by Djaf, if you say there's more coming up that hill," Vash growled, "I'm going to be very, very cross."

"Tzeentch's men are dead," Ruby said, not blinking as she continued to cleave through the remaining marauders like chaff. Any that somehow made it through the whirling maelstrom of her scythe being quickly dispatched by Fleshrender or Vash, "but we've got a whole bunch of Khornates coming up the hill. Lock battlelines. Where in Shyish is artillery support when you need it?"

'Did you actually just liken Shyish to he-?" Vash started before shaking his head, "We don't have enough of a beachhead for artillery, ma'am."

"Fine then," Ruby said, wheeling around, "Judicators! Avengers! Full mags, prepare to fire!"

The sound of guns crafted by the Six Sons of Grungi loading immediately echoed. The long rifles immediately pressing at the top of the shieldwall. Avengers hovered in the air, ready to fire.

"Vanguards!" Ruby continued, unfolding Crescent Rose and aiming down the sights, "if anything gets past the shots, I want them pincushioned! Lord Aquilor! Take a squad of Knights Venerators and make their approach as miserable as you can! Let them know that the Beacon has taken this place, and if they want it back they're gonna have to march through a storm of shot and blade to slaughter us to a man! Send them screaming to their gods so they know that their rule over these worlds ends today! That Sigmar has returned, that they should fear the storm, for it is a sign that we are near! Knights Heraldors, sound the horns!"

The knights stepped forward, lightning crackling along their horns as they blew into them while the Lord Aquilor took off with the flying knights with bows. Ruby turned to Vash, Fleshrender landing with a heavy thud and lowering himself, "Take the Palladors and flank them. When the time comes, and you'll know, hit 'em for everything. I'll lead the defense here."

Vash was silent for a moment before nodding, climbing onto Fleshrender, who rushed forward, Stormcasts on Gryph-Chargers following him. Ruby breathed in, lining up Crescent Rose as the Khornates crested the hill, missing several soldiers. Wolfheart was doin' his job.

"Ready!" Ruby said, "Fire!"

The sound of nearly a hundred guns going off sounded the sign of the start of the next wave of the battle.


	2. Chapter 2

Markus nocked a Beaststrike arrow, before loosening it. Ghur and Azyr swirled around the arrow, ripping through several Khornates. Four more took their place, only to by scythed down by shots from below. Urging his Gryph-Charger back down the hill, Markus dodged the attacks from the Khornate warriors.

Flower petals drifted in front of him, and he urged the charger on faster, sliding out of the cage of coiling winds that bound the slaves of darkness at the top of the hill. Ruby was standing at the foot of the hill, her scythe in hand. She raised it, undaunted by the gunfire roaring around her. Above them, energy gathered as she slammed the butt of Crescent Rose into the ground, a bolt of silver light fell from the heavens. Those that were hit got incinerated in silver light, decimating two thirds of the group in one blast, scoring the metal-laden ground of Chamon. 

That was when Vash and the contingent he had came from behind, smashing into the bloodbound and slaughtering them. Looking around, Markus lowered his bow. The battle had finished, for now.

Markus nodded go Ruby, who nodded in turn and began to walk towards the gate, Fleshrender flying as quickly as possible to join up with Ruby. She had a quick conversation with Vash before vanishing into the Realmgate. Vash drew his sword, impaling it into the ground, "Hold, the Lord-Commander is getting free guild builders. Lord Aquilor Wulfhart, set up a perimeter."

Markus nodded, turning to the Venerators, "I want you a mile out in each direction. If anything from Chaos comes, kill it. If it's a group of more than ten, fall back to the top of the hill and inform the reinforcements. If it's a beast, try to do both. Understood?"

They nodded, each clutching their bows, "Yes, sir!"

"Good, I'll take due north," Markus said, turning to Vash, "and if they get past us-"

"We will deal with it," Vash said, nodding, "Do not worry."

Markus nodded, urging his Gryph-Charger forward, the wingless animal carrying him forward.

\---X Ruby X---

Ruby stepped through the gate, cracking a small smile at the deafening silence that stretched as men and woman gaped at her. Ruby stepped forward, smiling at them and raising her hands as several gripped their rifles. Behind her, Fleshrender shifted, tensing. Ruby reached out, silently running a hand down his feathered neck to calm him, "Hi!"

"Lord-Commander Rose," a bald Stormcast in the pure silver of the Hallowed Knights rumbled, stepping forward so he was even with her, "Can we assume that you coming through that gate, the battle has been won?"

"For now," Ruby said, "I'm looking for volunteers to begin laying the groundwork for the defenses. Humans, Aelfs and Duridans who are willing to take the first step out of Azyr and help entrenching efforts."

"I'll go," a Duridan with black hair said, standing from the front of one of the that was around the gate, "Me' ancestors wouldn't forgive me if I didn't come back to our home when the chance came."

Ruby nodded, stepping to the side as many of the men and women stood and entered the portal. Ruby met the eye of the bald Knight, "I can't order you around, obviously, but would you go with them?"

"The Lord-Commander ordered me here to support the masses as needed. Today in a momentous day for those whose ancestors were forced to abandon Chamon," the Stormcast, who's rank Ruby couldn't easily discern. He had the lantern of a Lord-Castellant, but no weapon she could see, "as many of them are journeying through the Realmgate, I will of course be joining them."

Ruby nodded, stepping to the side to climb onto Fleshrender. The Griffon took off, flying through the sky towards Sigmaron in a flurry of lightning and petals.

If Sigmar wasn't a literal god, she'd be slightly worried about the amount of a God-complex it took to name half the things in your kingdom after yourself… that, or maybe he was just as bad at naming things as Ruby was. That was a comforting option.

Not because it made Sigmar worse, but because Ruby could only ever come up decent names for combat strategies back at Beacon and it was nice to imagine there was someone out there who was just as bad as she was a naming important stuff. And because Ruby really, really didn't want to admit she might have hit her peek at age fifteen of her long life.

And she still moved like she was in her twenties!

Ruby gave a chuckle to herself, patting Fleshrender on his right head as he gave a laughing chirp. Landing on one of the great aeries of Sigmaron, Ruby slid off the griffon and began to walk through the halls, while he swept forward, grabbing the carcass of an ox and ripping into it with gusto.

"Hey!" Ruby said, pushing open the doors to the throne and waving.

"Back already?" Sigmar said, smiling at Ruby with a twinkle in his eye. Around them, the celestial orrery span and twirled. Chamon whizzing by Ruby's ear and stopping in front of Sigmar. High in the sky, Ulgu and Hysh continued their eternal dance, the only two planes that orbited each other. Aqshy burned next to her, landing on her finger for a second and spitting great gouts of fire. Sigmar raised his hand, curling a finger towards her and the flaming orb rolled off Ruby's finger. Ruby caught it, tossing from one hand to the other before looping it behind her back and throwing it at Sigmar underhand, the god caught the orb, floating it next to Chamon.

"Yep," Ruby chirped, striding across the gap and snagging a nectarine off the table as she went, "And I've got optimistic and realistic."

"Which is?"

"Optimistically, Chaos got real lazy, you went way overboard and we'll have this all done in a year or two."

"And realistically?" 

"We hit them while their pants were down and they're gonna hit back as soon as possible and as hard as possible," Ruby reported, "It's gonna turn into a brutal fight to push further into Chamon, and it's only gonna be worse once we hit fortresses."

"Yes…"

"...You want us to hit a fortress?" Ruby asked, closing her eyes and bracing herself. She knew that inflection. Had been around Sigmar too long not to. It was the infliction he gave when a new member to the Beacon that  _ might _ be dangerous.

"Not immediately," Sigmar said, "but once the the beachhead forms into a proper defensive position."

"Why?" Ruby said.

"Ghal Maraz is on Chamon," Sigmar said, more to himself than to her, clutching the golden illusion to his chest like an animal of Ghur, "I can feel it…"

"You're sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Sigmar said, turning the orb in his head, "but where-? Ruby, call Fleshrender to you."

"What-?"

"Now!" The God-King's voice boomed as he swept his hands out, all the planes except Chamon vanishing. He stood as Fleshrender looked up, bounding out the aerie, over the head of the Duridan walking the halls and towards them, and slammed the ball into the ground, the magic twisted and warped, showing the Shining Beacon clashing with Khornates clad in black plate, outnumbering them four to one. Ruby grit her teeth.

"Looks like they got their pants up," she said softly, hiding the burning anger as she watched Vash standing hand in hand with another Stormcast, pushing the charging warriors back from the Realmgate.

"Where do you need to be?" Sigmar asked, eyes scanning the battlefield as Fleshrender entered the room, "tell me and you'll be there."

Ruby's eyes scanned the battlefield, before pointing at a group of Khornates heading towards Vash, climbing onto Fleshrender. Sigmar nodded, and Azyr crackled, the ever present smell of burning ozone growing pronounced. There was a boom, and Ruby was gone, falling to Chamon with the fury of the Heavens themselves.

\---X  **Vashanesh ** X—

Vashanesh watched the Venerator crash into the ground with a thud, standing and drawing the Sigmarite blade forged in the shape of Blooddrinker, Luthor standing behind him and drawing his jagged blade and the first of a brace of Stomburst pistols. Six shots per gun and six guns gave him thirty six shots.

Less than what an equal number of Thunderstorms would give him by over twenty shots, but more dangerous. More explosive power, and that was what the former harbor guard of Lahmia favored.

"What is it?" Vash asked, crouching in front of the woman with blood running down her throat.

"Sk- ski-"

"Oh, joy!" Luthor said, standing above them, "They brought skin wolves!"

Vash's head jumped up, watching the wolves burst from the sparse treeline, shreds of skin and bone falling off them as they went and eyes glowing red, "Judicators!"

They wheeled around, grabbing their Thunderers off their back. Despite their speed, the beasts were far, far faster, one lunging at Luthor. The Hunter-Prime moved with a speed second only to Ruby herself, blasting one with the Stormburst. A fist sized hole exploded into the skin wolf's chest, before his sword easily decapitated the lupine head, thrusting the sword through the skull and flicking it to the side to free the blade.

Vash rushed to the side with as much speed as possible, putting himself between the skin wolves and humans. Throats crushed underneath his armor, growls turned to pained whimpering as he wrapped his hands around the skull of the wolves, dropping his sword, he nodded to the forming shieldwall, "up there! Now!"

"Yes," one nodded, grabbing the others hand and beginning to make their way. Vash threw himself in front of a third, gritting his teeth as it latched its teeth around the comparatively weak armor around his throat. Before it could do anything, a silver hammer crashed into the upper skull, throwing it back from Vash. The Hallowed Knight that had come through the gate strode forward, swinging a hammer of silver light while waving his lantern in his other hand. Beneath his helm, Vash's eyes went wide, his mouth dry as he stared at it. How could he not? In another life, in another world, he had fought for the right to wield the hammer it was a replica of. Come within days of doing so, if not for a betrayal. 

In the World-That-Was, there had been a saying, 'Vlad Von Carstein's greatest mistake had been Konrad'. As the man who, in undeath, had been Vlad Von Carstein, Vashanesh was of the opinion that that was a load of tripe. His greatest mistake had been  _ Manfred _ . The amount of regrets that stemmed from taking in the boy was literally too long to count, and nothing made that clear like the Image of Ghal Maraz smashing through the chest cavity of the skin wolf like so much chaff. Smashing the heads together, Vash let the twitching bodies of the skin wolves fall, turning to his second, "Luthor! We must hold the gate!"

Luthor nodded, shooting a marauder as he backed to the gate with Vash. Blades were bared, the first of the Von Carstens and the disgraced Blood Dragon stood even with each other, and then the artillery at the top of the hill began their loud report, while slightly lower, Trueshot Thunderers went off.

\---X  **Ruby ** X---

_ "I have a question," Ruby said, staring at Grungni and Sigmar. _

_ "What?" Sigmar asked. _

_ "Is there any way Fleshrender can go through this with me?" Ruby asked, "if I'm gonna be fighting Chaos, I want him with me." _

_ Sigmar glanced at Grungni, raising an eyebrow, "Would it?" _

_ "Hypothetically," he said, "but realistically, it'd be difficult. Not on our end, but hers. She'd need the will to keep them both going." _

_ "I want to try it anyways," Ruby said, gripping Fleshrender tight. The griffon growled, coiling around her, "We're a package deal." _

_ Sigmar was quiet for a moment, before nodding to the the Duridan, "Let her try. It's my power to give." _

_ "Fine," he said, gesturing towards a large chamber, "step into there, lass." _

_ "I'll see you on the other side," Sigmar said, "it will be over much quicker from your point of view than mine." _

_ "What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby asked. _

_ "You'll see," Sigmar said, just as the door shut between him and her. Sigmar met her eyes, and said something Ruby couldn't make out. Considering what followed next, she strongly suspected it was an apology. _

_ From all sides, lightning exploded into existence, ripping through her Aura like tissue paper… no, that wasn't right. Her aura was still there, but was being bypassed completely. Looking down, Ruby watched skin, muscle, and even bone flake away, leaving nothing but red energy. Next to her, the same thing was happening to Fleshrender, the red energy of her arm mixed with the brown of his body. And then finally, mercifully, the lightning burned their heads away, and everything went numb. _

_ When Ruby came to, it was to the rhythmic hammering. Opening her eyes, she looked down, watching Grungni hammering away at her chest. With each blow, muscle formed around her exposed bone, "Wha-?" _

_ Grungni looked up, shock betrayed on his face before he put down the hammer, pushing Ruby back down, "Ye aren't supposed to be awake yet." _

_ "Where' fle'render?' Ruby slurred, realizing she didn't have a tongue, or, at least, not an entire one. _

_ "Me boys are taking care of your griffon," Grungni said, "He's fine. Now lie back down. I need to finish this. Don't worry, the hard part is over." _

_ "I dun remember a hard, par," Ruby said. _

_ "That's because you're not supposed to," Grungni said, picking up the hammer and continuing to hit Ruby's chest, muscle, sinew and skin slowly growing across her body, "Only Sigmar, me and me throng are supposed to. But ye passed, and your griffon came through too. He'll be strong enough to carry a Stormcast Hero like yourself into battle now. Just like ye wanted, the two of ya are a packaged deal now." _

_ "Good," Ruby said, closing her eyes, or would have, if she had eyelids. In her head, she could feel a link that hadn't been there before, the noise of ringing hammers came across it, and Ruby was instantly reminded of falling asleep with her head rested on Fleshrender's haunch in the Mortal Realms. Closing her eyes, she let Grungni do his work, the crippled god hammering away at her. _

_ "And that weapon of yours," Grungni said, "I want to look at when this is done. Beyond enhancing it with Sigmarite and runes, I think it could help in the creation of new weapons for the Stormcasts." _

_ "Just don't break Crescent Rose," Ruby said. _

_ "That'd be a shameful thing for me to do, lass, destroy another person's weapon without cause." _

\---X Ruby X---

The runes of Hysh and Azyr along Crescent Rose's Sigmarite blade glowed as Ruby reentered Chamon, igniting the blade with cleansing energy. Above them, clouds began to form, crackling and roaring. Sigmar's voice rumbled in her head,  **I'm sending in support. We can't risk it.**

"You won't see me complaining," Ruby muttered, "just don't hit me."

Sigmar didn't respond, the message having been uttered in her final moments in Azyr, only sinking in after her landing. Ruby silently urged Fleshrender into a swooping charge, clutching Crescent Rose. The Warrior of Chaos had a second to snarl at her, axe bared, before Ruby's blade punched into his chest. Ruby threw him off as she wheeled around, watching the storm smash into the ground. The Hallowed Knights stepped out of the storm, silver Sigmarite gleaming in the remains of lightning. At their head stood a tall man who looked a few years younger than Ruby, but in truth, there had been almost a century between their forgings.

In each hand were silver replicas of Ghal Maraz, lightning crackling along both hammer heads, and a sword at his hip. His golden hair trailing behind him as he shattered the knee of one approaching Khornate Warrior, hammering the other into the skull of the warrior. Blood exploded, rupturing from the head like a fruit. Ruby landed, nodding to him, "Lord-Commander."

"Lord Commander," Valten said, eyes scanning the battlefield, "There are a lot-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as something crashed into the ground. Through the forest, a giant, towering ape with skin as red as blood came barreling, grabbing a Stormcast like he was a child's toy with one of its three arms. Ruby met Valten's eyes, and took off as he began to charge the beast, hammers carving a path through any warrior until-

A man in armor as black as a Shyish night stepped forward, a shield the same color in one hand, he stared down Valten, "I know you…"

"Go," Valten said to Ruby, before baring his hammers. The man's blade and shield deflected the strike, a calm in the tempest of violence around them. 

Ruby turned, charging at the beast. Pushing herself up, Ruby hooked the scythe around the monster's arm. Letting Fleshrender continue in a loop without her, Ruby span, landing on the beast's wide back and pulled Crescent Rose. The arm severed, only for the other arms to wrap around her, lifting her to its mouth, it opened it wide.

That was when Fleshrender came back around, crashing into the beast and digging the talons in deep. Lightning crackled out of its jaws, burning down the spawn's throat as it fell backwards, it's grip on Ruby growing lax. She jumped out of it, drawing her runefang to cut down a charging Khornate and grabbing Crescent Rose. Fleshrender took off, flying towards where Vash and… the other guy, were fighting off marauder berserkers while Ruby grinned at the gathering Warriors in blood red armor. Activating her Semblance, Ruby charged forward with a laugh, running towards them with Crescent Rose bared. This was the best they had? Really?

\---X  **Ruby ** X---

_ Ruby span the sword, using the flat of the blade to deflect the strike from the warhammer coming for her head. Despite her best efforts, the hammer continued to move, pushing her backwards. Finally, Ruby ducked, letting the warhammer flow over her head and lashed up. _

_ Sigmar took a half step to the side, the blade missing him by an inch. The warhammer crashed into her neck with a loud, sickening crunch. Blood splattered from her mouth in a ragged, rasping cough as her trachea collapsed, wild, blazing eyes rolled back as Ruby collapsed. Dead. _

_ And then, the magic of the Gladitorium pushed into her, great cairns at each of the twelve position of a clock glowed with magic. Collapsed and shattered cartilage repaired itself, Ruby's body spasmed, rising up, before smashing down on her side, hacking coughs of blood splattering across the sands and fading. When the coughing fit was over, Ruby turned and took Sigmar's offered hand, rasping as the magic continued to fix the damage, "I don't think that'll ever feel normal." _

_ "I would hope not," Sigmar said, "because if you dying ever becomes normal, we're going to have a problem on our hands." _

_ Ruby gave a laugh, rubbing her throat, "Yeah." _

_ "So," Sigmar said, scooping up the sword and handing it to Ruby, "What do you think?" _

_ "It's never gonna replace Crescent Rose," Ruby said, sheathing the bastard sword at her side. _

_ "And it isn't supposed to," Sigmar said, "Just as in my old Empire, these new Runefangs shall be the symbol of office. Gifted to those who lead my hosts into battle, so all will be able to identify them." _

_ "That sounds like a good way to get shot," Ruby said. _

_ Sigmar gave a booming laugh, throwing back his head. Ruby chuckled alongside him, and he planted a hand on her shoulder, "Ruby, you ride to battle on a Griffon where others would use a Tauralon, you wield a weapon unlike anything seen in the Mortal Realms. Enemies will know to shoot you either way." _

_ "I'll get a corp of Griffon riders yet," Ruby insisted. Sigmar grinned at her, before tightening his gip on her shoulder. _

_ "We'll see," Sigmar said, "but for now, we should return to Sigmaron's main hall. The Scions should be done by now." _

_ Before Ruby could ask what that meant, a torrent of lightning erupted around them. When it faded, they were standing in the halls of Sigmaron. Fleshrender looked up, before giving a happy purr-chirp and resting on the ground again. Standing above him was a Stormcast man, with a heavy hooded robe in the colors of the Shining Beacon (the unendingly ironic black and red) over him. Despite that, and despite the temperature in Sigmaron never wavering from that of a midsummer day, each time the man breathed, it was visible in a puff of icy breath. He turned towards them, eyes the color of ice staring at them from an uncontrolled mess of hair. His beard, which was second only to Grungni, twitched as he smiled at them, "Is he one of yours?" _

_ "He's my partner," Ruby said, "I'm surprised, he's normally-" _

_ "Aggressive, yes," the man raised his right hand, showing several bite marks along it. Ruby winced. _

_ "Sor-" _

_ "Don't apologize," the man said, "I moved too quickly because he reminded me of an old friend. These bites are my fault, not his and not yours." _

_ "Right," Ruby said. _

_ "What's his name, if I might be so bold?"  _

_ "Fleshrender," Ruby said. _

_ "A fitting name," the man said, "Most would kill a mutant like this, but you didn't care, did you?" _

_ "Hardest part was figuring out if him having two heads meant he had two brains and stomachs," Ruby said, "it doesn't." _

_ "Yes," the man agreed, before Sigmar gave a cough, drawing attention to him. _

_ "I'm sorry to barge into this conversation," Sigmar said, "and please, feel free to continue it afterwards, but I think it'd be good to give a formal introduction. Ruby, this is Gregor… do you mind if I use your last name?" _

_ "It doesn't matter either way to me," Gregor said. _

_ "Gregor Martak. He will be one of your Lords Arcanum." _

_ "I didn't think it possible for there to be a title more atrociously stuffy than Supreme Patriarch," Gregor said, "but yes, I suppose that's what I am. Please, call me Gregor." _

_ "And this," Sigmar said, gesturing to Ruby, "is Lord-Commander Ruby Rose, the head of the Shining Beacon Stormhost." _

_ "Just call me Ruby," Ruby said immediately, "Please.  _ ** _Please_ ** _ ?" _

_ "I see neither of us are ones for pomp and circumstance," Gregor said, smiling, "It's nice to meet you, Ruby." _

_ "Where's the other one?" Sigmar asked. _

_ "If he's the man I awoke beside," Gregor said, "getting outfitted. He didn't want to waste any time." _

_ "Of course he didn't," Sigmar sighed, "Ruby, come with me, I need to introduce you to Vashanesh." _

_ "His name's  _ ** _what now_ ** _ ?" Ruby asked, trying to hide a laugh. _

_ "Vashanesh," Sigmar repeated. Ruby bit her hand, trying to hide the laugh. It wasn't right to laugh at people's names, it wasn't nice to laugh at people's name, it wasn't nice to- _

_ "Vashanesh?" Ruby squeaked, the laughter rising up. _

\---X  **Adalbert ** X—

Adalbert looked up from where he was carving through marauders with one of his axes. The moment he did, his mouth went dry, his axes lowered. Flying high in the sky were dozens of harpies, their skin stained red as blood. That alone wasn't enough to shake him, what was, was the woman at their head.

He knew her, how could he not? Everyone in Aqshy knew her. Heavy, sinewy wings beat in the air, heavy, curved horns sprouted from her forehead and stretched over her slicked black hair, her feet ended in hooves. And in one hand, there was a shield with eight spikes binding the face of a Daemon to it, the beast still howling in pain, its tongue lashing out from a circle of teeth. In the other was a barbed spear, held ready. Her armor was the same bloody red, shaped to look like the flayed musculature of a human. 

It was said that every day she flew across the Mortal Realms, gathering the worshippers of Kharneth that died in battle. At dusk, she returned to the Realm of Chaos and deposited them in the halls of blood. Then she lay with the Blood God himself, and at dawn, she gave birth to the red skinned Beastmen that worshipped him

Valkia the Bloody, the Consort of Khorne, Gore Queen, the greatest walker of the Eightfold Path, had taken to the field.

\---X  **Ruby ** X---

It was ultimately Ruby's Semblance that saved her life. The woman who swept down from the sky was very nearly as fast as her, and the barbed spear ground against her Sigmarite armor in a shower of sparks. Swinging Crescent Rose towards the woman, Ruby winced as the woman kicked her in the chest with hooved feet, dodging around the attack from Ruby and separating her from the scythe. Ruby grabbed Dragon's Tooth, using it to deflect the next attack and dodging around the woman. The woman tried to deliver a heavy blow with her shield as Ruby did, but her Semblance let her barely slide past it.

Fleshrender swooped down, lightning crackling from his jaws. The woman swung her shield around, letting the crackling energy hit it. Eight nails on the shield seemed to burn with a red light, before the lightning was pushed backwards in a bubble around her. Ruby wasted no time grabbing Crescent Rose off the ground and lining up a shot. A loud crack echoed across the battlefield as the bullet hit home in the woman's skull.

It was ultimately ineffective, the Sigmarite shot dropping to the ground and the woman's head turned towards Ruby. In the time it took Ruby to blink, the woman was on her, spear thrusting for Ruby's heart. Ruby dodged it again, hissing as the barbs ripped into her side like the armor wasn't there. Fleshrender dove down, claws aiming for the back of her neck. The woman dodged to the side, leaving the claws to rip through the air.

Two more cracks came from behind Ruby, and the woman threw her shield up. The Daemon head gave a weak scream as the bullets dug into it. Ruby rushed forward, swinging Crescent Rose for the woman, only for her to take off with her wings. Six shots went off, all of them blocked with inhuman speed. The Daemon Princess tilted downwards, wings spread wide, she soared over Ruby's head. The Stormcast had just enough time to turn around and watch the member of the Beacon wielding a sword and gun desperately divert the spear, stopping t from piercing his heart by inches. 

But it still must have pierced his lung.

Ruby began to charge forward, jumping and shifting Crescent Rose to its war scythe configuration as Fleshrender flew under her. Landing in the saddle with ease that centuries of practice gave, Ruby aimed the weapon at the Daemon Princess. 

Who, in turn, span with what had to be millennia of practice, using the shield to deflect the strike and drawing the barbed spear from the Hunter, it span deftly in her hand, directing right at Ruby's head. To fast to completely dodge.

Ruby grit her teeth as the spear gouged out her left eye, blood pouring down her face. But that didn't matter, because to deliver that blow, the Daemon had left herself open. Not to Ruby, but to the tearing claws of Fleshrender. Azyr empowered keratin gouged into the armor, ripping through it and beginning to eviscerate the woman.

She didn't seem affected by the fact that her gut was being carved open, spinning her spear around to pierce Fleshrender's right skull. Ruby bared her teeth, activating her Semblance to grab Dragon Tooth from her hip and lunging off Fleshrender. The spear pierced her gut, and at the same time, Ruby's blade punched through the Daemon's chest. Below, the Stormcast Hunter and Vashanesh lunged forward, running her through from behind with their own swords and an arrow from Markus lanced through her jaw and into her brain. 

The spear finally stopped then, slipping from her hand as her body imploded in a burst of red energy, an overwhelming smell of brimstone burning Ruby's nose. Gazing over the battlefield, Ruby's one eye locked onto the Hunter, "Are you alright?"

"Am I-?" The man said, "You lost an eye!"

"I'll get it fixed when we get back to Azyr," Ruby said, touching the hole, "get me a bandage for now."

\--- X  **AN ** X—-

Before anyone asks, no, I didn't forget Valten's duel. It'll play a role next chapter. 


End file.
